I Married a Raindrop
by Parabola Beam
Summary: I was something warm. [Penny-centric.]


Detecting imminent impact. Foreign body cross-referenced with database of known living organisms.

Determination: Characteristics are consistent with the appearance of a human female.

First contact established!

Observation: The ground is hard. The girl that collided to me appears to have reached a similar conclusion. There are more girls behind her. Are they her -

_404 Not Found_

I smile to indicate our newfound cameraderie.

Query: Why has she abruptly removed herself from my immediate presence?

Addendum: Why have her eyes dilated? Temperature sensors indicate that the sun is setting and that dusk approaches.

I compare her face to the online library of standard human facial expressions.

Conclusion: Commonalities indicate a high probability that she is experiencing the emotion known as surprise.

Proposal: Introducing myself will likely alleviate the feeling and prevent possible resultant miscommunications.

Activating voice synthesis module.

_404 error Not found missing values_

"My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Everyone displays concern.

Hypothesis: This may be because I have neglected to re-activate large motor functions and as a result have remained laying on the ground.

Proposal: I should let them know I'm alright, because I'm a -

_administrator-authorized overwrite reallocation of artificial synapse connection_

Proposal: I should let them know I'm alright.

"I'm _wonderful_. Thank you for asking!"

_404 Not Found missing values_

They make to depart.

"Take care, friend!"

Query: What is a friend?

Query: I've heard this somewhere before, but where?

Query: When?

-I've seen something terrible. I remember now. No one can take these thoughts from me, no matter how often I am recreated, or in what image-I know-I know she's-Ruby-_friend_-

_administration-enabled lockdown forbidden gateway_

Query: How do I know the meaning of that word, when it exists nowhere in my pre-loaded dictionaries?

_Run as administrator_

_accessing existential subconsciousness_

-Ruby lies dead in a pool of amber blood. BAD END-

_reinitialization_

-Ruby was saved! But her comrades lay dead in her place-Ruby dies of a broken heart. BAD END-

_reinitialization_

-One must always die, to uphold the balance. If it's-I can devote my-I can save-she won't-Ruby, _my friend_. Ruby, _my friend_-

"-You called me_ friend_! Am I really, your _friend_?"

"Uhm...Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?"

"Sen..._sational_!"

-"Ruby! Ruby, my friend! Please do not-!-Please do not-!-"

Ruby's eyes are open, but they are not alive. Something warm drips from my eye and lands on her cold cheek-

-I will have to reinitialize again-and again-and again-and again-

-until I save her, I will keep retrying every time that I am reborn-

-until I understand friendship, until I know the word-inside the heart I shouldn't have-from the very moment I meet her-until that time-

-something warm drips from my eye and lands on her cheek, rolls towards her lashes-

-and I remember-

I remember Ruby's first day at Beacon, through her eyes, come to know what's important to her, who she met that will be there when her end comes or does not come-

I have to start there. I have to start there next time-

"-We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys-!"

The first one I met-Weiss-she'll-she'll want to save her, so-I'll make them remember-

"-Is this what it was like when you met me?"

"No. She seems far more coordinated."

-Please save Ruby!-Please-!-Please, Ruby, my friend-my friend-You'll be saved this time, because-

...I know the word this time, and that means, it's this time for her, too-

-it's this time for me, and for her! So I'll-

-I'll keep them together-

-all together-

"Don't you worry, Ruby my friend! I won't rest until we find your team mate."

-so they can save her when it's time.

-until I understand friendship, until I know the word-inside the heart I shouldn't have-from the very moment I meet her-until that time-Am I really, your friend? Am I really, your friend?-

-I know it this time-

Every other time, I came here, to the sky. I can't die, because I'm a-

I don't know who I am. But when I lost Ruby every lifetime, I would sleep for a long time and become part of the sky. I'd marry a raindrop and come back to her and after all that time we met again and again in other lives, and that time-

-when Ruby lay cold, with the eyes that were open but not alive-

-I was the something warm-

-that landed-

-on-

-her-

-cheek-

And I knew the word-

-friend.


End file.
